For years, volunteers quietly cared for the community cats that lingered around the Ateneo Professional Schools campus in Rockwell. They fed them twice daily, brought sick animals to veterinarians, organized trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNVR) drives, rescued kittens, and raised funds out of their own pockets to manage the colony.
What started as a personal effort grew into a network of residents who pooled resources to care for the animals. Beyond feeding, volunteers rescued kittens, funded veterinary care, and organized sterilization efforts. Earlier this year, they also responded to a parvovirus outbreak that affected several cats in the area.
Volunteers trace the dispute to August 2025, when they found a community cat named Henry confined in a cage near garbage bins. According to Fournier, the volunteers had received reports about the cat’s whereabouts. It remains unclear who placed Henry in the cage.
The incident led to discussions between residents, animal welfare advocates, and Ateneo representatives. According to volunteers, the meeting, set up by a fellow volunteer, resulted in a compromise: a designated feeding area would be set up outside the building to encourage cats to stay away from campus activity.
